Abstract:
Proponents of National Standards (NS) in New Zealand have argued that a key benefit of written reporting against New Zealand’s NS will be parents who are fully informed of their child’s achievements and thus better placed to support their learning. Utilising an interpretive, qualitative methodology and drawing on the perceptions and experiences of eight parents, this study investigated such claims. Using the reporting of reading progress and achievement as a case study, particular attention is paid to the nature, scope and complexity of the information communicated to parents in National Standards reports, their understandings of this information and the factors that enhanced and/or inhibited understanding.
